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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24901351">Cuddles</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duckseamail/pseuds/Duckseamail'>Duckseamail</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Sokka thought he was being obvious, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko is oblivious, but evidently not obvious enough, so is Sokka to an extent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:39:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,124</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24901351</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duckseamail/pseuds/Duckseamail</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Sokka shuffled across the room and pushed Zuko’s legs aside to make room on the couch before answering. 'I wanted to snuggle, so I came to find you.'"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>927</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cuddles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I would say this is very very soft and fluffy, so I hope y'all enjoy it. Let me know if there are any mistakes or if something was written in an awkward/hard to understand way! Then I can fix it!</p><p>(btw this takes place when the Gaang is at Ember Island but before Sozin's Comet)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zuko was lying on the couch, waiting for sleep to settle over him. It was the middle of the night, and quiet except for the sound of waves hitting against the beach, and so he assumed everyone else was asleep. </p><p>“Hey.” </p><p>Turns out, he was wrong. Zuko looked up and saw Sokka entering the room with a small smile on his face. “You sleep like the dead, why are you even up?” he asked.</p><p>Sokka shuffled across the room and pushed Zuko’s legs aside to make room on the couch before answering. “I wanted to snuggle, so I came to find you.”</p><p><em>Oh</em>. </p><p>Something Zuko hadn’t realized about the Avatar’s group when he’d joined was that they were a very affectionate bunch. Even Toph, to an extent (She’d told him punching was how she showed affection, and she punched people <em>a</em> <em>lot</em>). </p><p>Anyway, Sokka was looking at him expectantly, so he shifted against the back of the couch. There was just enough room for a person to lay against him. The nervous feeling in his stomach at the thought of being so close was worth it when Sokka immediately lay down and pressed his back against Zuko’s chest. </p><p>He held still while Sokka shifted around to get comfortable. He had to remind himself that this was entirely platonic, and it had been every time since they’d become friends after the breakout. Their relationship was so platonic that Sokka even jumped on Zuko’s back and wrestled with him while neither wore shirts during sparring.</p><p>He must’ve been holding too still because Sokka’s arm reached back. Zuko watched as his brown hand circled around his own pale wrist and brought his arm forward over Sokka’s chest, where it rested gently.</p><p>“Why didn’t you go to Suki?”</p><p>“Because,” Sokka said, “you’re warm, and I like you, obviously.” </p><p>Zuko’s breath hitched. He didn’t know why he was doing this, because Sokka liked him as a friend and nothing else, but he slowly reached his hand up from where it lay on his chest and brushed his fingers gently over Sokka’s chin.</p><p>He traced up the curve of Sokka’s jaw towards his ear, and then back across his cheek where he paused. When Sokka relaxed with a small sigh, he felt a little braver, and so he moved his fingertips up over the bridge of his nose. </p><p>His skin was so smooth, which was very impressive, considering all the stress that must have piled up over the last year. </p><p>Then, he traced over one of Sokka’s eyebrows. They were thick and coarse, but Zuko thought they were perfect, and he passed over them a few times before dancing his fingers up to his forehead.</p><p>He wanted to touch Sokka’s hair. Would that be going too far? Zuko’s honestly a little surprised Sokka hadn’t pushed his hand away already. Oh, whatever, he’d already traced his crush’s freaking <em>face</em> so he might as well go for it. </p><p>The feeling of soft hair parting around his hand made Zuko’s heart beat faster. He combed his fingers through all the way to the shorter hair at the back of Sokka’s head, and ever so gently pressed his blunt nails down when he dragged his hand back to the top.</p><p>“It’s nice spending time with you,” Zuko whispered.</p><p>“Yeah,” Sokka said sleepily. “Maybe when Aang defeats your dad, we can go on an actual date.”</p><p>“<em>What?</em>” He must have misheard. Sokka tensed up under his arm and then rolled over, so they were face to face. His nose was scrunched up in confusion and also a bit of worry. It was cute, but Zuko couldn’t say that because this was his friend, but then again, Sokka had just said something about a <em>date</em>.</p><p>“You know...an actual date since we don’t have much privacy until the war is over.” Sokka bit his lip before continuing. “Unless you don’t want to? I guess it would make sense if you were just doing this in case the world gets destroyed…” </p><p>Finally, Zuko was able to get his thoughts into some kind of order, and his voice felt scratchy and weak when he spoke. “I- um, I thought we were friends? Is that not what…<em>you</em> thought?” </p><p>His head felt a little light from the happiness that was trickling in. Sokka said they should go on a ‘real’ date after the war, which meant that he must have been thinking they were somehow going on not real dates in the time Zuko’s been in the group. And you went on dates when you <em>liked</em> someone.</p><p>However, it didn’t seem like Sokka shared his feelings of elation, because he was standing up and stuttering apologies.</p><p>“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I must’ve - or I just assumed. I mean, I like you and you- I thought you liked me back? I’ve been pretty much all over you, I thought you noticed. And, well, I even told you one time? A little after we got back from the prison? I said that I liked you and you were like. Well, you said ‘same,’ so I guess that’s why...I thought we were...dating. I realize now you probably meant as a friend...anyway, I uh. I’m really sorry for making you uncomfortable.” Sokka crossed his arms at the end of his speech, and Zuko realized he had been progressively moving away while the words spilled out of his mouth. </p><p>“No!” Zuko said urgently, and apparently louder than he meant because Sokka jumped a bit. “No,” he repeated, softer, getting up and moving towards him. “You didn’t make me uncomfortable at all. I thought you were just acting weirdly friendly and would never like me in a million years, but. You do.” </p><p>Zuko’s mouth curved into a shy smile, and he reached forward and slowly pulled Sokka close. They stared at each other for a second, and Zuko saw the flickering glance down at his lips, took his chance, and asked, “Can I kiss you?”</p><p>Sokka nodded so hard, his hair bounced wildly around his face. When he stopped, Zuko leaned forward and pressed their lips together.</p><p>His breath hitched at the warmth and pressure, and it was a feeling he wanted to last forever. He pressed closer, and when Sokka broke the kiss, Zuko rested his head softly against him. </p><p>“I would love to go on a date with you after the war.” He said it with reverence, and Sokka leaned forward and brushed their noses together with a smile.</p><p>“Good. Now, can we go back to the couch? I wasn’t kidding earlier when I said I wanted to snuggle.”</p><p>Zuko laughed softly, and they went back to the couch and fell asleep, wrapped up in each other's arms.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry if the kiss was too short or not descriptive enough, but I've never kissed anyone so idk how to describe it, and also, the cuddling was the point of this fic lol.</p><p>I'm on Tumblr @duckseamail so come say hi!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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